Combination stool



March 2, 1954 W HAELI ET AL 2,670,891

COMBINATION STOOL Filed Nov. 7, 1950 72m (Ittorneg Patented Mar. 2, 1954 smras COMBINATION STOOL Y LeonaMichaelisandiEdward Michaelis Clifton Heights; Ea.

ApplicationNovember 7, 1951 Serial-N0; 194,405

'l he presentrzinvention relates to kitchen. stools generally: and. is: concerned primarily witln a;

kitchen stool which is designed. to: function not only as=a stooli but: alsoasv acarrienand: storage receptacle.

In accordance-with the modern trendiof: home desigrn space: in the kitchen. isbecoming more;

and more restriot'edi Present" day" apartments are:- ordinarily clesign'ed'l with only; a: limited amount of kitchen: space andr this isrequally true" of the average dwelling: house; In such. small quartersit. ishighly desirable to utilize to as greatarr extent as possible-every bit'zof" availablespaceyand tlie=present invention isfoundedon thisbelief as: its: motivating cause;

invention: has i11 view as its forem'ost olo-= jective the provisiom of a kitchen stool. which-is sow designed and constructed a's to be applicable to other uses in the kitchen and throughout th'e home.

Somewhat? more in detail the-invention hasas tin-object the provision of a kitchen st'ool whichi'nclud'es a close'd in receptacle that isadaptedfor use forstora'ge purposes; The storage space is located immediately beneath the seat of the stool" and aooess=thereto maybe had by hingedly mountihg the seatin-the stoolwher-eby it f-unc tlons=as=a closura As a= corollary to=this object; a further object is to provide; in a kitchen stool of the't'ype indi'cated: a storage receptacle having an auxiliaryclosure located at the side. With such an'auxil iary closure access= may-behad to the storage space without disturbinganoccupant of the stool.

Still another highy important object ofthe invention" is toprovide; in a; kitchen stool of the type indicated, asupporting leg structure in-' cluding'rearlegs which are mounted on wheels, rollers orcomparable devices, wherebythe stool isrendered' moliile.

Following-this objective;- the-kitchen st'ool provided with a back rest which-is also-adapted foruse" as *a-liandl'e'when-thestool-is-being moved about from place to place. This back rest; toget-hen with the wheels at the lower ends of the rear-legs; enable the stool to be used much in thevmanner of a wheelbarrow or two-wheel pushwith: the space ordinarily used: for storage purposesaccommodatingrthiam'ateri'als which are tmbeenmved.

anathen ohieot: ofi the i tlnproin aikitchensto oLofr thescharacter: aforesaid; front leg structure including step elements whichi cooperates tot provide What-.is:- in; eifect a: short step'ladder. The. legs-structure isrso designed". as to. affordl the: necessary stability when: the stool is used asza step: ladder;. and: the mobile-character: of" thexstool' facilitatestsuch use inzthat1the stool may" be. moved aboutto any place where; a step ladder iszrequiredz 7 Various other more? detailed objects and? advantages of: the. invention such" astarise in conneoti'on: with. carrying out? the? above noted ideas in: 2;. practicah embodiment will} in; part become apparent; and: in part: be? hereinafter: stated as the description of the invention proceedss The" invention, therefore; comprise's a combination: stool and: carriers consisting: essentially of leg structure including front and rear: legs; with the rear: legs: being provided with wheels at the lower free".ends, and the front legs= witlr step elementsgconstituting thezfront leg's -arst'ep' ladder; Theilegi structure: supports a hingedly mountedzseataprovidin'g access to astorage re ceptacle'. located therebeneath: 'I'h'e rear legs also support a back rest which is adapted foruse asaa-rhan'dler when the stool 'is to be moved about;

For a:- fullf and more complete understanding of" the invention; reference may be had to' the following description and accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure: 1 is: aview in side elevation, with-parts broken away: of? a st'ool designed in accordance with precepts of thisinventi'on;

Figure' 2is a-view in:front elevation, with-parts broken away of th'e stool shown in Figure 1; and

Figure is a detailed elevation taken about onthe planev represented by: the line 3-3- of Figured.

Referring now to the drawing; wherein. like reference characters: d'enote corresponding parts, and first/more particularly-to Figure 1, the stool of this invention is shown as including apair of frontlegs I0 and? apair ofrear l'egs- I I Each ofthelegs Illand H includes a main bodirpor tion that'- is straight "and which: assumes a vertical position when the'st'ool is in it's normal posi tioni Each of these=legs also includes a lower; outwardly-direoted curve portion; wit'lithese-por-- tionsof the several legs cooperating toprovide- What is in effect a widebase; The l'ower curved portions" of the front legs" lll are designated; 12 and thecurved portion of the rear legs I' l are indicated as- I'Bi I I Extendlng hetween the lower portions; [3- ofythe rear legs II is an axle or shaft 14 and-journalist on this' shaft I 4 are a pair of small wheels or roller: I 5..- This arrangement.-

to, be: taken: as

illustrative of one way in which wheels or rollers might be mounted on the lower ends of the rear legs l I. It is not intended as a limitation on the invention, because there are obviously other ways in which these wheels might be mounted.

At this point it is well to note that the leg structure, horizontal supporting braces and back rest are illustrated and described as made from metallic tubing, such as stainless steel tubing. This material is now meeting with wide-spread use in the field of kitchen furniture and is taken as illustrative of the preferred material from which these elements of the stool might be made. Obviously, other materials might be used without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Encompassing the legs l and H, where the curved lower portions merge in with the straight main body portions is a lower horizontal support or brace l6. At the top of the legs ID there is an upper horizontal support or brace l1 and encompassing the straight portions of the legs l0 and H and substantially midway the extremities thereof is an intermediate support or brace [8. The braces l6, l1 and 18 may be secured to the leg structure in any preferred manner, such as by being soldered or welded thereto.

A back rest is referred to in its entirety by the reference character B and comprises a piece of tubing that is bent into U formation, providing sides [9 and 20, the lower end portions of which are joined to the legs I l at the upper ends thereof.

The aforementioned union may be effected in any preferred manner, such as: by soldering or welding.

A seat is referred to in its entirety by the reference character S. It comprises a fixed barlike portion 21 which is permanently secured in a fixed position across the upper ends of the rear legs H and a movable main body portion 22 which is hingedly connected to the fixed bar 2| by the hinge shown at 23.

The space beneath the seat 8 is enclosed by wall structure which may be made from any preferred material, such as thin plywood, plastic or sheet metal. This wall structure consists essentially of a front wall such asshown at 24, a rear wall 25 and a pair of side walls 26. These walls extend from the top brace H to the lower brace IS. A bottom for the storage space is provided by a bottom wall shown at 21.

In order to provide access to the storage space while a person is occupying the seat S, one of the side walls 26 is provided with a lower auxiliary door 28 which is hingedly mounted as indicated at 29 and provided with a handle 30 for manipulating purposes. Under ordinary conditions this door is kept closed, but it may be swung into an open position when access to the storage space is desired.

Immediately above the intermediate brace [8 the front wall 24 is deformed to provide an inwardly extending recess 3| and a horizontal shoulder 32. A step element 33 is supported on this shoulder 32 and the brace [8. The recess 3| accommodates the front portion of the users foot when this step 33 is used as an element of the step ladder. In a similar manner, the wall 24 is deformed immediately above the lower brace l 6 to accommodate a second step element 34 and provide an inwardly extending recess immediately thereabove to accommodate the toe of the users foot.

Operation While the manner of using the stool above described is believed to be obvious from the description of the parts given, it may be briefly summed up as follows:

Under ordinary conditions the stool is supported in a customary manner by the lower portions I2 of the front legs l0 and wheels [5 carried by the rear legs I I. In this position a person may occupy the seat S and be seated in a comfortable manner against the back rest 13..

When it is desired to use the storage space beneath the seat S to store articles, the seat S is raised by swinging it on the hinge 23 and the articles are deposited in the storage space. If desired, the auxiliary door 28 may be swung open for the same purpose.

When it is desired to use the stool as a carrier so as to move articles that are placed in the storage space, the user simply grasps the back rest B and tilts the stool backwardly so that the only support is provided by the wheels IS. The stool may now be pushed about much in the manner of a wheelbarrow or two-wheel pushcart.

When a step ladder is required, the stool is moved to the desired locality in the manner above prescribed and. the step elements 33 and 34 are used in. the same manner as the steps of a step ladder. In this connection it is notable that the wide base aiforded by the curved portions l2 and I3 of the legs insures of adequate stability when the stool is used as a step ladder.

While a preferred specific embodiment of the invention is hereinbefore set forth, it is to be clearly understood that the invention isnot to be limited to the exact constructions, mechanisms, and materials illustrated and described, because various modifications of these details may be provided inputting the invention into practice within the purview of the appended claims. 7

What is claimed is:

1. In a combination stool of the character de scribed, leg structure including a pair of front legs and a pair of rear legs, a storage receptacle carried by said leg structure, including a bottom, front, rear and side walls, a seat hingedly mounted at the top of said rear wall and constituting a closure for the top of said storage receptacle, a pair of wheel elements at the lower end of said rear legs, and a back rest secured to the upper ends of said rear'legs and adapted to function as a handle in cooperation with said wheels.

2. In a combination stool of the character described, leg structure including a pair of front legs and a pair of rear legs which extend from the top to the bottom of the stool, a storage receptacle carried by said leg structure, including a bottom, front, rear and side walls, a seat hingedly mounted at the top of said rear wall and constituting a closure for the top of said storage receptacle, and an auxiliary door hingedly mounted in the lower portion of one of the side walls of said storage receptacle.

3. In a combination stool of the character described, leg structure including a pair of front legs and a pair of rear legs which extend from the top to the bottom of the stool, a storage receptacle carried by said leg structure, including a bottom, front, rear and side walls, a seat hingedly mounted at the top of said rear wall and constituting a closure for the top of said storage receptacle, and a pair of step elements carried'by said front legs at the front wall of said receptacle. F 41. In a combination stool of the character de-'- scribed, leg structure including front and rear legs, with the lower ends of said legs disposed outwardly as compared to the upper ends providing in efiect a wide base, upper and lower horizontal braces carried by said leg structure, a storage receptacle disposed between said braces and including a bottom supported by said lower brace, a hingedly mounted seat secured to said rear legs above said upper brace, and step elements carried by said front legs.

5. Ina combination stool of the character described; leg structure including front and rear legs, with the lower ends of said legs disposed outwardly as compared to the upper ends providing in effect a wide base, upper and lower horizontal braces carried by said leg structure, a. storage receptacle disposed between said braces and including a bottom supported by said lower brace, a hingedly mounted seat secured to said rear legs above said upper brace, a pair of wheels at the lower ends of said rear legs, a back rest at the upper ends of said rear legs, and a pair of step elements carried by said front legs.

6. In a combination stool of the character described, leg structure including a pair of front legs and a pair of rear legs with the lower ends of said legs disposed outwardly as compared to the upper ends providing in eifect a wide base, upper, lower, and intermediate horizontal braces secured to said legs, a storage receptacle defined by front, rear, and side walls extending between said upper and lower braces, the' front wall of said receptacle being deformed to provide an inwardly extending recess immediately above said lower and intermediate braces, step elements in said front wall supported by said intermediate and lower braces, a seat hingedly mounted at the upper ends of rear legs above said upper brace, one of the said side walls being provided with an auxiliary door immediately above said lower brace, a pair of wheels at the lower ends of said rear legs, and a U-shaped back rest secured to the upper ends of said rear legs.

LEONA MICHAELIS. EDWARD MICHAELIS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 164,168 Hamilton Aug. 7, 1951 780,815 Roberson Jan. 24, 1905 1,486,268 Salomon Mar. 11, 1924 1,832,642 Leff Nov. 17, 1931 2,209,859 Taylor July 30, 1940 2,481,382 Bennett Sept. 6, 1949 2,495,374 Horn Jan. 24, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 540,020 France Apr. 11, 1922 

